Master of the House
by catharticone
Summary: After a mishap with unpleasant aliens, the Doctor seeks help for Rose. However, the source of that help may prove far nastier than the aliens. NineRose. Doctor WhoHouse crossover.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: "Doctor Who" is the property of the BBC, and "House" is the property of Fox. I intend no infringment with this tale._

* * *

It was just their luck to stumble into a blind alley. Why couldn't they ever dash away from imminent danger and end up in a nice, big, open field, or better yet beside a sturdy door that he could coax open then lock securely behind them? It was always an alley…

He'd ponder this coincidence later. At the moment, the Doctor's most pressing concern was keeping the two aliens away from Rose. Tquarwesiian claws did very nasty things to human flesh, and he had no intention of letting one of those razor-like appendages get anywhere near his companion. He shoved himself in front of Rose, holding out his arms as threateningly as possible. Tquarwesiians were a bit like bears—occasionally they could be intimidated by sheer size and perceived ferocity of an opponent. Not a lot going on inside their craniums, actually, which was sometimes a good thing and sometimes a very bad one. Right now he was leaning toward judging this characteristic in the latter category.

"Stay back!" he shouted at Rose, then he stretched out his arms even farther and forced the loudest yell he could muster to roar from his chest.

The creatures paused for just a second or two, cocking their heads and focusing their tiny, red eyes upon him. He lunged forward, flailing his arms and yelling again, and they took a step back.

"It's workin'!" Rose said. "'S probably better with two."

Before he could stop her, she stepped out from behind him and lifted her arms. The Doctor spent exactly one tenth of a second berating himself for failing to tell her that Tquarwesiians had keen senses that immediately perceived gender, and that on their planet almost all females, of nearly all species, were harmless. He spent the next four tenths of the second trying to twist his body around to nudge her back. The final half second was devoted to a tremendous thrashing of arms and thumping of noses in an attempt to keep the aliens away from Rose. They stormed forward the instant they registered that she was female. Their claws extended, raking through the air in wicked arcs.

The Doctor did everything he could to intersperse his body between the creatures and Rose, but their heavy arms battered him and their enormous feet stomped at him, and it was all a blur, really, until suddenly a blinding light flooded the alley and, with a tiny crackle of ionic energy, the aliens vanished.

The alley was shrouded in late-afternoon shadow once again, and the Time Lord found himself on his hands and knees. He scrabbled to his feet, gaze locking on Rose immediately. She was leaning against the wall, blinking and rubbing at her eyes.

"What was that?" she asked rather breathlessly.

"Animal control, or their planet's equivalent of it. I told you they were here illegally—no papers or permits. Their people retrieved them."

"So they're gone?"

He nodded and gave her a smile. "Yep—back to their planet for a good, long while. Saved us a trip there, which is fortunate, because it's not a place that you'd enjoy much. Ready to head back to the TARDIS?" He extended his hand to her.

Rose lifted her arm and took one step, then promptly fell to the ground. A tiny little "oof" escaped her as her hands hit the pavement.

"Rose!"

The Doctor was at her side in an instant, eyes running over her. She wore dark jeans, and in the dim light he hadn't noticed the stain spreading over her thigh. Now it was all he saw.

"It's just a scratch," Rose murmured, trying to turn over and wrench herself into a sitting position.

"Stay still," he instructed gruffly, tearing the fabric away from the wound. One hand dipped into his pocket to retrieve a pen torch; the other automatically pressed over the site of the injury.

"'M okay," she protested weakly. She brushed her fingers over the gash then hissed in pain.

Summarily he moved her hand aside as he shone the torch beam on her leg. "Damn it," he said.

Blood poured from the wound; the internal iliac artery was cut. His eyes flicked to the ground, to the crimson pool beneath her leg, and he knew that she would bleed to death in a matter of minutes if he didn't do something immediately.

Now her hand lay limply at her side, and her body began to slump down. She was rapidly going into shock. He shifted around so that he could rest her head against his chest, keeping his hand clamped over the artery with an iron grip. He pulled the sonic screwdriver from his jacket and fumbled one-handed at the settings for just an instant then switched on the device.

"Rose," he said, bending his head so that he could speak close to her ear, "I have to cauterise the wound. It's gonna hurt, but you've gotta stay still." His words were perfunctory, but he had to tell her, had to let her know what he planned to do.

He unclamped his hand from her leg then plunged his blood-soaked fingers into the wound, opening it, exposing the damaged artery to the small beam emitting from the screwdriver.

She gasped, and he could feel her body jerk back, but he managed to press his shin over her leg to keep it still. Tiny wisps of smoke rose from the wound, and the smell of burnt flesh prickled in his nose. He waited a second, then another, watching to be certain that the blood was slowing. Indeed it was, and he exhaled shakily.

Rose's eyes were huge, and tears glistened on her ashen cheeks. She was trembling in spite of herself. He reached for her arm, wrapping his fingers gently around her wrist as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Her pulse was thready, but he was sure he'd got to her in time.

"You're gonna be okay," he told her.

"Hurts," she whispered.

"I know."

He gathered her into his arms and stood, keeping her against him, supporting her little body.

"Think I need a doctor," she murmured.

"Yeah," he agreed, "one with some supplies."

Rose sniffled. "Maybe… we should find a hospital."

He looked around, gathering his bearings. "Princeton," he said. "We're in Princeton, New Jersey. Hospital's about five miles from here, TARDIS's about three." He was thinking aloud, talking to keep her conscious as long as possible. He didn't want her slipping fully into shock until he'd got her someplace safe. "Little far for us to walk, an' I'm not sure about gettin' a cab in this neighbourhood."

"Doctor?" Rose's voice was very soft, and he didn't know if she was making an inquiry or a request.

"Hang on, Rose. I have an idea." He wrapped his arm around her more snugly and half-carried her out of the alley. He stood for a few seconds then pointed ahead. "Just two blocks away," he said rather cryptically, then he increased his pace as a smile spread across his face.

* * *

He tried knocking first, but of course there was no one at home. The sonic screwdriver made quick work of the lock, and within a few seconds the Doctor was helping Rose across the threshold and into the townhouse.

"Breakin' in?" she said weakly.

"Belongs to an old friend—well, really more of an acquaintance, but he'll have everything we need. I'll have you sorted in no time."

The Doctor scooped Rose into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He settled her on the bed then began searching through the house for the items he needed. He found the Vicodin in the bathroom, as expected. There was a suture kit, too, and a decent array of first-aid supplies. He found syringes, saline, bandages, scissors, a basin for water, and a good stock of clean, fluffy towels.

When he returned to Rose, he dumped the supplies on the night table then opened the bottle of Vicodin and gave her a tablet, which she swallowed neatly without even needing water. That small task completed, he cut away the leg of her jeans to provide better access to the wound. He cleaned it with water then irrigated it with saline, working somewhat slowly to give the drug a chance to kick in. He hated to cause her any more pain than absolutely necessary.

When her eyelids grew heavy and finally closed, he checked her pulse and respiration then, satisfied that she would feel very little, sutured the wound and set a sterile gauze pad over it. He wanted to provide some air circulation; he'd bandage it properly later. He was just covering her with a blanket when he heard the front door opening.

The Doctor stood and strode out of the bedroom. The owner of the town home was leaning against the door, emptying a pill bottle into his mouth.

"Gregory House," the Doctor addressed his host by way of greeting. "It's been awhile."


	2. Chapter 2

"What the hell?" House seemed to require a few moments to process his guest's features. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too." The Doctor extended his hand, but House made no effort to take it.

"How'd you get in?"

The Time Lord shrugged. "I'm good with locks."

House hobbled toward a buffet against the wall, his cane making a dull little thud with each step he took. "You want a drink?"

The Doctor watched the other man's slow movements. The leg was worse; that much was clear. He'd suspected as much the moment he'd seen the dosage on the Vicodin bottle. A single pill had knocked Rose out completely, but Gregory House appeared completely lucid after at least two.

"No thanks," he finally replied.

House shrugged then poured himself a generous measure of scotch. He took a sip as he turned back to his guest with a terse question.

"So?"

"What?"

"You're here, in my house. Should I be worried about alien viruses or time travelling megalomaniacs?"

"Not this time. They've gone back home."

"They were here in Princeton?" House gulped another liberal swallow. "No, wait, I don't want to know."

"Suit yourself."

House's eyes ran over the Doctor. "You hurt?" His voice was still gruff, but a hint of concerned filtered through.

The Doctor glanced down. He'd removed his jacket while he worked on Rose, but there was blood on the edge of one sleeve and near the hem of his jumper. "It's my friend," he said, glancing toward the bedroom.

House's gaze moved to the bedroom, too. The end of the bed was visible from where he stood. "What happened?" he asked, already moving toward the other room.

"Just a little altercation, but I needed some supplies."

House hobbled into the bedroom then paused as his eyes ran over Rose. "Pretty," he said succinctly. "Kind of young for you, though, isn't she?"

The Time Lord ignored the snarky comment and simply watched as House lifted Rose's wrist to feel her pulse. His eyes shot to the Vicodin bottle on the bedside table. "How many did you give her?"

"Just one."

"Good, 'cause I'm not your personal pharmacy."

"I'll get you some more."

"Really? You gonna write me a prescription, _Doctor_?" The final word was spoken with mordant emphasis. House pulled back the blanket then lifted the gauze from the young woman's leg. "What did this?"

"A very large claw."

House bent down to examine the wound. "How deep?"

"Nicked the interior iliac artery."

"How much blood did she lose?" The physician's icy expression had softened slightly with concern.

"Two, three litres, I'd guess. She was goin' into shock; I had to cauterise the wound to stop the bleeding." The Doctor moved to the bed and rested his palm against Rose's pale forehead. Her skin remained cool. "She could use a unit or two of blood."

House nodded and reached into his jacket for his phone. As he punched at the small keys, he asked, "What type?"

Now that was a good question. The Doctor had never thought to ask her. Without hesitation or a hint of self-consciousness, he rubbed at the stain on his cuff then pressed his tongue over the smudge on his fingers. "B positive."

House's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he made no comment to his guest. Instead, he barked into the phone, "Cameron. I need two units of B positive. Bring them to my house as soon as you can." His blue eyes shot to the Doctor. "Antibiotics?" he questioned.

The Time Lord nodded. "Yeah. Something for Gram negative bacteria, similar to Klebsiella. Neomycin, maybe."

House nodded. "I need some Neomycin, too." He listened for a moment then shook his head in annoyance. "Yeah, I'm fine, Cameron. Just get on it." He closed the phone with an impatient snap.

"Thanks," the Doctor said.

House returned his attention to the wound. "You found a suture kit."

"Yeah."

"This is nice work," he conceded.

"S'pose it'll do. Transfusion an' antibiotics'll help, too. Mending skin's easy. Mending rips in the fabric of time, little harder." The Doctor shrugged then brushed a bit of hair away from Rose's cheek.

House turned away from the bed and limped back toward the living room. After tucking the blanket back around Rose, the Time Lord followed him, waiting for his host to sink down onto the sofa and reach for his drink again. He motioned for his guest to sit, too.

As the Doctor lowered himself onto the cushions, he winced in pain. Damned aliens must've got him, too. Funny he hadn't even noticed it before. His hand moved to his side; the pain was just below his ribs.

House was watching him. "You're hurt, too. Figures." He finished his drink then set the glass on the sofa table. With an exasperated shake of his head, he leaned forward. "Let me see."

"It's nothin'," the Doctor replied.

"Yeah, just like hers." He lifted the Doctor's jumper to expose a gash across his flank.

The Time Lord glanced down. "It'll heal in no time."

Without responding, House stood and hobbled off to the bedroom. "Get your shirt off," he ordered over his shoulder.

He returned shortly with a handful of first aid supplies then set about cleaning the wound. His left hand rested over the Doctor's ribs as he worked. After a few moments he glanced up.

"Two hearts. I almost forgot about that. Damn, that double beat is weird." He spread his fingers over the Time Lord's sternum. "Here and here, right?" His thumb pressed over the secondary heart, his ring finger over the primary.

"Yeah."

"Don't suppose you'd agree to an x-ray or MRI this time, either, would you?"

The Doctor grimaced. "Nope."

House shook his head then returned his attention to the wound. "This could use a couple of sutures."

The Time Lord looked down; the gash was deeper than he'd initially thought. "S'pose it wouldn't hurt."

House had brought another suture kit in anticipation, and he quickly prepared a needle and eased it into the ragged edge of the wound. The Doctor inhaled sharply.

"I take that back," he grumbled, "it could hurt. Damn."

House glanced up. "You want something for the pain?"

The Time Lord shook his head. "Doesn't interact well with my biochemistry."

"No? How's it react?"

"Badly."

The Doctor's tone apparently quelled any further inquiries the American might have planned. He finished suturing the wound in silence. After taping a piece of gauze over the area, he stood with effort. "I'll get you a clean shirt."

He shambled away. When he returned, he held a jumper remarkably similar to the Doctor's. He passed it to his guest, then sank down on the arm of the couch.

The Doctor slipped the garment over his head. "Leg's got worse, hasn't it?"

"No."

"Yeah, it has." The Doctor's sharp gaze locked on House's steel blue eyes. "Vicodin dose is up."

House shrugged.

"You know I could fix it for you—"

"Right. You have all sorts of advanced alien medical technology, and it'd just be a short trip to your ship… Thanks, but I have to decline."

"Suit yourself. But if you ever change your mind—"

The buzzing of the doorbell interrupted them. House stood and made his way to the door. He opened it only half-way, snatching a box of supplies from the hands of an attractive young woman with a very concerned expression on her face. From his position on the couch, the Doctor could see her eyes moving over House, trying to determine if he'd told her the truth about not being injured. Suddenly her gaze shot past him, and she saw the Doctor.

"Hullo," he said cheerfully, offering a small wave. He began to stand.

House was already shutting the door with his elbow. "Thanks," he growled, without a hint of gratitude in his voice.

"House, wait," Cameron protested, hand wrapping around the door. "Who's been hurt? Can I help?"

"None of your business, and no." He nudged her hand away with his cane.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No." He pushed the door shut and twisted the lock with a rather resounding click.

The Doctor stood to intercept House, taking the box from him. "She's pretty," he said with a grin. "Bit young for you though, isn't she?"

He received a mild glare for his efforts. House's annoyance, however, did not prevent the physician from setting up the transfusion equipment carefully and efficiently next to the bed. The Doctor gently inserted a cannula into Rose's arm, noticing that she stirred slightly.

House disappeared for a minute or so, then returned holding a bottle in his hand. "Acetaminophen. Minimize the risk of transfusion reaction."

The Time Lord nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good idea." He sat down beside Rose and stroked her cheek. "Rose, it's time to wake up now."

She made a small noise, and her eyelids fluttered.

"That's it," he encouraged. "I know you're sleepy, but you need to wake up for just a minute."

Her eyes opened sluggishly. "Mmm, wha' d'you want?"

He lifted her head and held up the two tablets House had helpfully set in his hand. "I want you to swallow these. Okay?"

He watched her face carefully to be certain that she understood. She nodded, just a little inclination of her head, but he was satisfied and tucked the tablets between her lips. He held a glass of water to her mouth, and she swallowed obediently.

"Good girl," he complimented with a smile.

She was still quite groggy from the Vicodin and blood loss, but she lifted her hand to touch his chest. As she did, she noticed the cannula in her arm.

"Wha's that?" she asked, automatically reaching for the foreign object with her other hand.

He stilled her movements with a gentle motion of his own hand. "Leave it, Rose. Go back to sleep now, and when you wake up you'll feel much better." He moved a hand to her temple, pressing softly with his fingertips and mind, nudging her body back into sleep. In a few moments her eyes closed and her head lolled back. He lowered her to the pillow then gave House a nod. "Think she's ready now."

House hung a unit of blood from the portable stand Cameron had provided then connected the tubing to the cannula to begin the transfusion. The Doctor remained beside Rose, his hand resting on her shoulder as both men watched the blood enter her body.

"Do I want to know how you did that?" House asked, glancing at Rose's peacefully slumbering face.

"I dunno. Do you?"

"Would you tell me if I did?"

"Probably not."

House snorted. "That's what I thought."

The Doctor smiled inscrutably then moved his hand up to the pulse point in Rose's neck. "Feels a little stronger already."

House rummaged through the box Cameron had brought. He held up a pill bottle and a small vial. "Neomycin. Which one do you want to give her?"

"I don't wanna wake her again." He pointed at the vial.

House prepared a syringe then administered the antibiotics to the Doctor's young companion. "Rose what?" he asked.

"Tyler," replied the Doctor.

"Where'd you pick her up?"

"London."

"How long's she been with you?"

The Time Lord shrugged then stood up. "Couple a' months I s'pose."

House tidied up the supplies then checked the transfusion equipment again. Satisfied that Rose was in no danger, he said, "Let her rest. You like tea, right?"

"Yeah."

"Come on, then. I don't have anything from Mars or Venus, but I think I can dig up some Earl Grey."

The Doctor followed as House hobbled out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

_Here is the final chapter. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed!_

* * *

The American didn't make a half bad cup of tea. The Doctor sipped from the mug, allowing the hot liquid to infuse his body with warmth. He hadn't realized just how cold he'd been feeling until he'd sat down and wrapped his hands around the warm cup. He must have allowed his thoughts to wander for a few moments, because suddenly he was aware of House watching him intently.

"You in pain?" the physician asked, glancing down at the site of the Time Lord's injury.

"No." The Doctor took another sip of tea.

"She's going to be all right." House's voice had lost some of its acerbity.

"This time, yeah."

House considered the brief response before replying. "You really care about her."

"Wouldn't be with her if I didn't."

"You two are…" House lifted an eyebrow suggestively.

"No!" The abruptness of his own reply surprised the Doctor a bit. "That's not why we're together," he amended. In these situations, it was usually best to change the subject. He was pretty damn good at that. "You an', what was it, Cameron? You two together?"

House shook his head. "She works for me."

"Doesn't answer the question."

House shrugged. He was obviously enjoying being obtuse. He could match the Doctor almost barb for barb—almost.

"S'pose you're still the most brilliant diagnostician on the East Coast," the Time Lord commented idly, taking another sip of tea.

"Yes. And don't even think about trying to compete with me."

"Me?" The Doctor lifted his hands placatingly. "Never."

"Cuddy almost offered you a job last time."

The Time Lord chortled. "She'd've loved tryin' to find my qualifications. Almost would've been worth the trouble just to see her face—"

House smiled, too, then he grew more serious. "You probably saved two dozen people's lives that day."

Unmoved by the attempt at a compliment, he replied, "Yeah, 's what I do."

"Probably saved her life, too." House glanced back toward the bedroom.

Hand closing tightly around the mug, the Doctor said, "Wouldn't've needed to if I hadn't put her in danger."

"Then why do you let her travel with you? You were alone before—"

"Yeah, an' I'm sure I will be again someday. But Rose…she helped me, does help me, makes me better somehow."

House's eyes moved from the Doctor's face to the bedroom doorway. "I can see that." When he looked back, he added, "I'm glad you found her."

This required no response; the Time Lord simply nodded and finished his tea.

* * *

When Rose awoke several hours later, the Doctor was waiting by her side. One unit of blood had been sufficient to restore her vitals to normalcy, so he'd removed the cannula and lowered her sleeve while she still slept. Her leg was neatly bandaged, and, while she'd have some pain, he thought that she'd be able to manage satisfactorily until he could get her back to the TARDIS. Once there, he would repair the damage completely.

The first thing she did when she opened her eyes was smile at him. And he smiled back, sincerely glad that she was conscious, coherent, and relatively comfortable.

"How're you feelin'?" he asked, resting his hand against her warm cheek.

"Better."

"I know the leg's sore, but think you can manage for a little while, just 'til we get back to the TARDIS?"

She nodded. "'M fine."

That earned an even broader grin from him. She was a plucky little human, his Rose. Her eyes had been on his face, but now she looked around, taking in her surroundings.

"Where are we? Did you say this is a friend's place?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yep."

"'S he here?"

"In the other room. You wanna meet him?"

"'Course. I wanna thank him for lettin' us stay… how long's it been?"

"Couple of hours."

Rose pushed herself up to sit against the pillows, wincing a bit as she moved her leg. The Doctor called for House, who came shuffling in a minute later.

"Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, "this is Gregory House."

She extended her hand. House took it with a small half-smile.

"Thanks for helpin' us," she said warmly.

"Just returning a favour," the American replied.

"I need one more," said the Doctor. "Can you give us a ride back to my ship?"

"Yeah," House replied. "But you can stay here as long as you want."

That last comment surprised the Time Lord a bit, but he simply gave a nod of gratitude. "We appreciate it, but we should be goin'." He was already helping Rose out of bed.

"I'll get the car." House hobbled away.

Rose watched him go. "He seems nice."

A scoffing laugh erupted from the Doctor. "You're probably the first person who's ever used that word to describe him."

"What? Nice? Am I missin' somethin'?"

He took her arm and pulled her up gently. "Could be, or maybe you just have that effect on people."

"What effect?"

"You know—bringin' out the niceness in 'em."

She wrapped her arm around his waist, partly for support but mostly out of affection. "I'm workin' on it."

House drove them to the alley where the TARDIS sat, incongruous as always yet oddly unnoticed by passersby. He got out of the car and held the door while the Doctor assisted Rose.

She took House's hand and thanked him again, a sentiment echoed by the Doctor. House simply shrugged and muttered, "Any time."

The Doctor paused for just a moment before entering the alley. "I was serious about the leg," he said. "If you ever want my help, just call." He pressed a scrap of paper into the American's hand.

"You have an intergalactic calling plan?" House retorted.

"Somethin' like that." The Time Lord turned and escorted Rose toward the TARDIS.

Once they'd entered the ship, she asked, "What happened to his leg?"

"I'm not sure. He wouldn't tell me the details."

"But you could sort it?"

"Yep. If he'd let me."

"Why wouldn't he want you to help him?"

"That's just the way he is." The Doctor strode up to the console and set the coordinates for the void; he wanted a nice, quiet destination so that Rose could recuperate fully. Once he'd dematerialised the ship, he returned to his companion.

"Luckily you're not like him," he said. At her questioning look, he added, "You're gonna let me fix your leg, make it good as new in no time."

Rose smiled. "I can't say no to that."

* * *

_ FIN_


End file.
